


Fire and Ice

by fallenangel8794



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-08 09:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1131191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenangel8794/pseuds/fallenangel8794
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an excursion in the Mako gone awry, Shepard totals the tank and her armor. What will the battlemaster do when the cold becomes unbearable for the firey commander?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro: The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I've been stuck on the idea of getting Wrex to fall for Shepard (and vice versa). I didn't really want a one-shot fling, but I didn't want a novel spanning all three games either. This is what I ended up with. Please let me know what you think!

“Shepard!”

“What?”

“The cliff!”

“It’s not high enough, Tali.”

The quarian groaned and gripped the back of Wrex’s seat tighter. The krogan barked a laugh and gave the human commander a glance. Her fiery hair was pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck and her blue eyes were blazing. Something about driving the Mako put her in high spirits every time and he was beginning to enjoy it. She floored it and the tank hurtled over a small ledge, staying airborne for at least eight seconds before slamming back to the ground. The trio was jarred hard in their seats and Shepard laughed wildly. She let the vehicle roll to a stop and looked back to Tali.

“You wanted to come, you know.”

“I know. I was hoping your driving had improved since the last time.” Tali said shakily.

“Her driving is fine.” Wrex said pointedly.

“Aw, thanks!” The human nudged him playfully. He barred his teeth in a krogan smile.

“You can’t even see! How are you not worried that we’ll go down a bottomless pit?” Tali gestured to the snowy conditions outside. They had found an anomaly while scanning the little nowhere planet and Shepard had all but pounced on the opportunity to bet off the ship for any reason other than specter business.

Shepard shrugged, “Makes it more fun. Besides, there aren’t any bottomless pits on this planet. The Mako can handle a few high cliffs.”

“I know,” the quarian groaned.

The commander stretched, “Everyone strapped in?”

Wrex grunted and Tali made a show of tightening her harness. Shepard nodded and they took off like a shot again. They reached a relatively flat patch of land and Shepard motioned for them to ready the guns. Wrex complied as a thresher maw erupted from the frozen ground. Driving in circles around it proved effective and it fell quickly. Shepard spun the Mako so she could watch its death throes and gave a loud cheer when it was finally still.

“Now, what were we doing?” She asked, sounding almost bored with the sudden silence.

“Shepard?”

The human sighed, “What, Tali?”

“The ground is moving.”

“What…shit. Brace yourselves!”

The ground under the tank shuddered and gave way. Shepard hammered the thrusters and gas trying to get them back on solid ground. The front wheels started slipping and she made a split second decision. She cut the gas and hit the thrusters again, sending them rocketing away from the collapsing earth. She yanked the wheel hard to the left and the Mako turned slowly, but it did turn. A chunk of rock hit the driver’s side and flipped the tank. Shepard slammed hard into the side and hissed through gritted teeth before punching the side thrusters and righting the vehicle. She wrenched the wheel again, sending them spinning away from more debris. Tali gripped the head rest of Wrex’s seat so hard the metal was groaning under her claws. For his part, the huge krogan was doing his best not to let his bulk shift too much and unbalance them. Shepard stomped the gas, causing the wheels to spin. They landed on a large rock and sped off of it. She hit the thrusters and the Mako rocketed up. They were playing falling dodge rock at break-neck speeds and it was clear that they couldn’t keep this up for long. Shepard shouted for them to brace for impact as she spun the wheel one last time, putting herself between her squad and the rubble. They crashed against the rocks and earth before hitting the ground hard and everything went dark.


	2. Cracks That Kill

“Wrex?”

The krogan growled and shook his head.

“Oh, good morning sleeping beauty. Sorry to ruin your good dreams, but you’re needed.”

“Humph. Damn human.” He looked over at her. She was lying at an uncomfortable looking angle pressed against the side of the tank. She had put her helmet on at some point and gestured for him to do the same. As he snapped the seals into place, he realized that he was no longer touching the seat, but rather dangling from his harness.

“Can you get the door open?” She asked with a light voice. He knew it meant she was grinning under her helmet.

With a grunt, he pushed against the door and it creaked open.

“Excellent. Can you get out?”

“If I undo my harness, I’ll land on you.”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to be taller and I could stand to lose a few inches off my waist. You’re not that big, anyway. Tali and I are stuck until you move, so out.” She made an impatient shooing motion.

Wrex grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘stupid human’ and undid his harness. He held the frame of the open door to keep his full weight from slamming into her. He knew how heavy he was and how fragile humans were, even if Shepard seemed hardier than most.

“Shit,” she choked out. “Thanks for the warning, big guy.”

“Heh, any time pyjak.” He maneuvered off of her and out of the Mako. Tali followed him with a groan and then Shepard staggered out.

“I’ll show you a pyjak. Get back here!” She rushed at him. He grinned behind his helmet and moved out of her path. She gasped and then grimaced with an arm around her middle as she sunk into the snow after taking two steps.

“Shepard!” Tali crouched next to her.

She waved the quarian away, “I’m fine. Must have jammed my leg harder than I thought. Help me up.”

Wrex narrowed his eyes at her. That wasn’t her leg she was holding. Tali pulled the commander up and looked her over. “Your suit is trashed. It’s cracked all along the side. It’s venting heat.”

“Cracked? Damn it,” Shepard sighed, “Call the Normandy.”

“You’re going to freeze.” Wrex said gruffly.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Shepard, the temperature is well below human tolerance. Without your suit to keep you warm, there’s no way you’ll make it until the extraction team can get here. It’s going to take them at least four hours to get down to us, longer to get us out.” Tali crossed her arms.

“Then let’s make this quick. I thought I saw a small compound to the east. I vote we hole up in there.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to see if I can salvage anything useful from the Mako.”

 “Let me know what you find. Come on, lizard man. We have work to do.”

“Lizard man?” Wrex huffed indignantly.

Shepard laughed and hobbled away. He watched her hips swinging in her favorite Ursa armor. It was white and doing a damn good job of blending into the snow storm. He jogged after her so he wouldn’t lose her in the tundra. Wrex stayed silent while he followed Shepard as she limped to the small compartment at the back of the Mako. She chatted jovially at him despite the dire circumstances while they moved the emergency supply packs from the tank to the small compound. They rearranged the small room, putting all the beds to one side and packed it full of thermal blankets and ration bars as quickly as possible. It had three sets of bunk beds, a small desk and two storage lockers. The generator next to the structure was damaged by the falling rocks and only able to run one system at a time without shorting out. They set it for the environmental controls and fired it up. By the time they were done, Shepard had started to shiver.

“How’s it g-g-going, Tali?” The commander asked as she shuffled in place.

“It’s going to be a while, Shepard. It took a beating. Garrus is going to be really mad.”

The human grinned to herself, “Yeah, I j-j-just bet. I’ll owe him a few b-b-beers.” She looked at the dented mess that passed for the Mako, “Ok-k-kay, maybe a keg. Or t-t-two.”

Wrex barked a laugh before he shoved her gently- for a krogan- to the shelter. She sent what he assumed was a glare back to him before half-crawling into the small structure. She wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up against the back wall, sliding down the smooth surface in an effort to take weight off her injured leg. She ran diagnostics on her suit and found that all systems were still functional. She grumbled in annoyance. If it wasn’t cracked, the temperature seal would still be in place and this wouldn’t be a problem. She silently thanked whoever created an oxygen line separate from the environmental seals. At least she wouldn’t suffocate! She snorted. Her suit pinged, letting her know she needed medi-gel. She checked the stats streaming across her visor. Dislocated hip, cracked ribs and numerous bruises and scratches. She shrugged inwardly. Not too bad for a Mako crash. She clicked her comm on.

“Hey, either of you two injured?”

_“You know better than that pyjak.”_

_“Now you ask? And I’m fine besides some bruises by some stroke of luck.”_

“So I’m the lucky one. Grand. If you start getting cold, come keep me company. Even with your suits it can still freeze you solid.”

_“Understood.”_

“Tali, take a break from the Mako. It’s probably a lost cause, even with all the omni-gel. Could you take a look at the generator? Maybe you can work some magic and get the heat and life support going at once. My suit is chaffing something fierce.”

_“You got it, Commander.”_

The door to the compound opened and Shepard growled at the wash of cold air.

“You don’t scare me, pyjak.” Wrex said.

“Is that what you’re going to call me now?”

He grunted and dropped down next to her, “What’s the damage?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking Tali that?”

“I did and she said something I didn’t quite catch. But it didn’t sound good.”

“I hope she gets that generator working soon.” She pulled lightly at her armor, “I wasn’t kidding when I said it was rubbing.”

“Stop avoiding the question.”

She sighed, “Nothing too serious.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“What?”

“I can smell it.”

“Well, I have medi-gel. It’s no big deal.” Shepard assumed he could smell the multitude of minor cuts covering her body.

Wrex turned his head toward her. She assumed he was trying to stare her down, but with helmets in the way, facial expressions were really lacking. With a sigh, she hailed the quarian again.

“How’s it going, Tali?”

_“Not good. I don’t think there’s anything I can do. I need to come in for a bit. My fingers are going numb.”_

“Understood.” The door opened and Shepard growled again. Wrex laughed.

“Sorry, Shepard. It’s half frozen. I’d need to thaw it to get to what I need to fix.”

“It’s fine, Tali.” The commander tossed her a blanket, “Worry about getting warm.”

Catching the thin cloth, she wrapped it around her shoulders and sat on a low bunk. The krogan hoisted himself off the ground and activated the environmental seals on the room, causing the heat to sputter off. He waited until the console by the door confirmed that they could breathe before pulling his helmet off. Shepard copied him and he resumed staring her down. She stared back. The room was still cold, but it was bearable now.

“Suit off.” He growled.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Shepard crossed her arms over her chest, “No.”

Wrex had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. She looked for all the world like a grumpy child. A well-armed and armored child, but it was still enough to make his lips twitch with his efforts to conceal a grin. “You can take it off, or I can, pyjak. Either way, it’s coming off.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Fine. Ass.”

Tali had raised a hand to her faceplate as if that would stifle her laughter. Something about the Great Commander Shepard acting like an indignant child and a hulking krogan in full armor arguing about who would strip said commander was unbelievably funny.

Shepard smirked at Tali before she turned her head toward Wrex. A one-ton krogan battle master demanding you strip so he could check your injuries was a bit intimidating, she decided.

Shepard then proceeded to make a show out of slowly removing each piece of armor, inspecting it, and placing it carefully on one of the lower bunks. She got to her chest piece and tugged at it. It sent a sliver of pain down her side and she gasped involuntarily. Wrex gave her a pointed look. She huffed in response and pulled on it again. It started to give way with a sickening sucking sound and she had to stop, her face nearly the same color grey as her armor.

“Looks like you get to take it off for me, big guy.”

“Heh, I’m not good with gentle.”

“It’s okay. I like it rough.”

Wrex raised a brow ridge at her, which was an impressive feat considering he was a krogan, and Tali giggled some more. Shepard motioned impatiently to her armor and he stepped closer, pulling her to her feet. With one hand bracing her and the other gripping her battered gear, he yanked it off in one swift motion.

“Son of a bitch!” Shepard hissed.

“That’s gonna scar.”

“No shit. Thanks for the warning, by the way.”

He dropped her armor on the floor and bent down to examine the gash along her side, “You’ll live.”

“Lucky me.” She looked at the bloody welt. It started just below her left breast and cut a jagged line down to her hip. The tip of her hip bone poked through the skin and she suppressed a shudder. If Wrex noticed, he didn’t comment. He braced her again and pulled her greaves off, dropping them with her cuirass. Even through his armor, his hand on her skin was warm. She placed her hand over his before she thought about what she was doing. Without letting her go, he eased her back to the floor, the red of her blood standing out grossly on his green armor. He lingered a moment longer before pulling away and standing. Wrex turned back to face her. She looked small without her armor or uniform. She was in her underclothes, the mesh undersuit having come off in shreds with the armor. She reached for her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Tali gathered the compound’s med kit and set to work patching the commander up. After applying a thick layer of medi-gel and bandages to her torso and an anti-inflammatory shot to her hip, the lithe quarian settled herself on a top bunkwith her legs dangling over to edge. She didn’t miss the moment they just had and she wondered if it was normal for krogans to find humans attractive, and vice versa. Not like Shepard was a run of the mill human, but still. It was kind of cute how gentle Wrex really was with her. Shepard had by now crawled into a bunk and hidden herself beneath the thermal blankets while the other two debated their options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it's not a bad read :)


	3. Getting Comfortable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so sorry for the long delay. A lot has gone on in my life and I had to get some things sorted out and yea. But I'm back and the story will go on! So, without further ado, here is the next installment!

“It’s just going to get colder in here, Wrex. Without her armor…” Tali wrung her hands.

“Yeah, yeah. Talking about it won’t help.” The krogan growled.

“Then what will?”

“You two shutting up,” Shepard poked her head out to glare at them, “I’m plenty warm under the blankets and we still have four others, not counting the ones for you. I’m too stubborn to die of goddamn exposure so calm down. We have just under three hours. I suggest resting while we can.”

Tali flopped back against the wall. The commander was stubborn, no doubt about that. She rubbed her face plate. She _was_ exhausted. They had been going almost nonstop for days, what with the geth and the Alliance they could hardly sit down. “Fine, but only because I’m drop dead tired.”

“That’s the spirit, Tali.”

Wrex hefted a blanket up to the small quarian and she settled herself on the bunk. With a mumbled, “I’ll be here if you need me,” she turned the auditory sensors on her suit down and closed her eyes.

“Poor kid,” Shepard said softly.

“She wanted to come.”

“I know. It just gets to me sometimes how young she is. I worry she bit off more than she could chew.”

“I would say the same about you, pyjak.”

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “My mouth is bigger than people think.”

“Maybe because you talk too much.”

She rolled her eyes and scratched at her head. With a grimace, she pulled her red hair from its bun and shook it out. It fell just past her shoulders and Wrex found himself oddly fascinated by it. He never gave too much thought to it before, but hair was weird. It moved too much and was too shiny. How many different strands were there, anyway? She startled him from his thoughts with a question, “Could you pass me another blanket?”

“Colder than you thought?”

“Mmm.”

“That’s no answer.”`

Shepard gave him her best ‘commander look’ and he shrugged. She took the blanket he offered and shoved it behind her, creating a buffer between her sore ribs the wall.

“That’s better.”

Wrex looked at her quizzically.

“I’m not all that cold yet. But I did crash the Mako. I’m sore.”

Wrex grunted in what she assumed was understanding. Silence reigned for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. The wind howled outside and he could feel the temperature drop even with his armor on. Shepard shivered and pulled the blankets tighter around her shoulders. Wrex looked over to her as she shifted with a scowl to get further under the blankets, covering her head. Thermal blankets were great at trapping your own body heat, but when that couldn’t combat the cold, they were nearly useless. With a growl of frustration, Shepard poked her head out again and squinted at him.

“Pain pills.”

He passed her what he thought was the right amount. When his hand brushed hers, her fingers were colder than the room. He watched her gulp the pills down and snuggle back into the blankets. She stifled a yawn.

“Pyjak.”

“Mmm?”

“Wake up.”

“I am awake,” she muttered.

“Good. Tell me a story.”

She laughed, “What?”

“I dunno. I’m bored.”

“Right. Krogan hate small spaces with nothing to shoot.”

“Heh, yeah.”

“What kind of story?”

“A good fight always gets my blood pumping.”

“Confined spaces, Wrex.”

He growled and she rolled her eyes, “Fine. When I was a kid back on earth, I fell in with a rough crowd. A lot of us orphans did, really, but some of us were lucky and lived to tell about it. I got involved with a gang called the Tenth Street Reds. After a few years I became their go-to in tight spots. A rival gang managed to grab a fair number of our people and hold them for ransom. We, of course, declined and chose to fight. They put me in charge of that. We were ambushed and nearly slaughtered. It was very bloody. Some forty people lay dead in the streets when it was over. Most of them were Reds, but we managed to take out a good number of them too. I could hardly walk by the time we got to the warehouse where our guys were. But we got them out and killed every enemy bastard in there for revenge.”

Wrex grunted, “Passable for a human.”

“Well, let’s here one from you, big guy.”

“I don’t tell stories.”

Shepard harrumphed. “There’s the one with the burning building.” He nodded for her to continue, “Same gang a year later torched our base. Even as it was falling down, we fought them all. I couldn’t tell you who won that day but they paid a heavy price for crossing us. More people died from burns than they did of the actual fight, I think. I was the only one that made it without scorch marks. That’s how I got my name.”

“Shepard?”

“No, my first name. Ember. Finch said the fire wouldn’t touch its sister. He compared me to a spark. Blue where it’s hottest,” she gestured to her eyes, “red where it bites the hardest,” she pointed to painted her lips, “and orange where it warns to stay away.” She ran a hand through her hair and smiled self-consciously.

“Ember. Fire. The glory of battle. I like it.” He pounded his fists together.

She laughed, “You would.” The laugh subsided into a shiver and Wrex passed her another blanket. She took it with a scowl. He watched with something dangerously close to concern as she grumbled and maneuvered onto her back, throwing the blanket on top of the others. Another long silence followed and Wrex made sure to keep one eye on her and the other on the time, measuring the minutes against her temperature. Shepard abruptly sat up and gritted her teeth against the pain.

“Give me my armor and helmet.”

He passed her the requested items and watched her curiously. She wouldn’t put them back on, would she?

Shepard sat up and hugged a blanket around her shoulders as she fiddled with her gear. By the time she shoved it back onto the floor, her lips were blue and she was shaking. Judging from the way her fingers kept slipping, it was safe to assume that they were numb. She flopped back onto the thin mattress with a grunt of pain. She pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Wrex wasn’t sure what she had hoped to accomplish, but she seemed upset that she couldn’t make it happen. She rubbed her temples to try and alleviate the pounding headache that was forming. The hissing of armor seals coming loose caught her attention.

“I’m not taking your armor, Wrex.” She said wearily without opening her eyes.

“Good. I wasn’t offering it.”

She turned her head to look at him and raised an eyebrow. The krogan was standing in just his undersuit.

“Wrex?”

“Shepard.”

“What are you doing?”

“Move over.”

Not having the presence of mind to argue, she complied. The bed was hardly big enough for her, let alone her _and_ a krogan. But once again, there was something about a one-ton krogan demanding you do something that was certainly intimidating. And if she was being honest, she wanted him next to her. Somewhere in her foggy mind she was aware of the absurdity of that sentiment but she couldn’t find the energy to firmly grasp the errant thought. Shepard was getting groggy now that all the adrenalin from the crash was wearing off. And this blasted cold wasn’t helping either. She could deal with almost anything, and nothing they encountered today was beyond her capabilities. She’d crashed a Mako four other times before this; injuries were part of her daily life as a solider; the temperature wasn’t ever something she’d complain about since complaining wouldn’t change it; and a thresher maw was just an inconvenience that bullets could make go away. But all of this together was quickly becoming overwhelming for the human commander and she wanted nothing more than the comfort of another body next to her. And the fact that she felt safest with a krogan battle master spoke volumes about the life she lived. Wrex waited for her to move to the far side of the small bed before moving toward her.


	4. Faith

The bed dipped low as Wrex sat on the edge of it and Shepard had to brace herself so she wouldn’t slide toward him. He slowly lay back, careful of his bulk around the injured commander. She watched him curiously. By now she had guessed at his motives and was touched that the big lizard was going so far to help her.

“Come here, pyjak.”

“There’s nowhere else for me to go, lizard man.”

“Heh, heh, heh.”

Shepard rolled her eyes as she closed the sparse distance between them and shuddered when she pressed against him. She hadn’t realized how cold she had gotten until that moment. Wrex lifted his arm, allowing her to maneuver her sore ribs more away from the unforgiving surface of the wall. Once the commander was situated, he wrapped them both in thermal blankets, using the heat of his large body to warm her smaller one. After a few minutes, she yawned.

“Wrex.”

“Shepard.”

“Thank you.”

Wrex grunted in response. If only she knew how many night cycles he had lie awake in the dim cargo hold, wondering what the Great Commander Shepard was doing; if she was awake too, filling out those reports she always bitched about or maybe finally catching some much needed rest in between the endless missions. It was true that she often sought him out when the reports got too tedious and sleep eluded her yet again, and he had come to enjoy their talks. When the fiery human had picked him up on the Citadel, he never guessed he would grow to have such faith in her. On and off the battle field, she was a force to be reckoned with and he found himself drawn to her, much like everyone else she encountered. He thought himself above such sentiments, but Shepard had a way of tearing down preconceptions without making you feel like you were wrong for having them. She was an extraordinary woman, and human to boot. At times, he often thought she was more like a krogan in her ferocity, or a salarian in her intelligence, but no, she was just a human and that was exactly what she needed to be.

“Wrex?” She startled him from his thoughts.

“Shepard?”

“Do you think we can do this?” Her voice was quiet. Whether from the cold or weight of her question Wrex wasn’t sure.

“I think if anyone can do it, it’s you, pyjak.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he said simply. The time he had spent with her, however brief in comparison to his lifespan, had given him an unshakeable faith in Shepard. Her fire and passion had warmed his battle scarred old heart.

She shuddered and buried her face against the rough scales of his shoulder. His staunch support touched her deeply and she was beyond grateful for it. Now, all she had to do was make it off of this damn icy rock and show that his faith was not misplaced. She shivered again.

“Hang in there, pyjak,” Wrex said as he drew her closer.

“You-you know what the worst part of a-all this is?” Shepard asked through chattering teeth.

“Hmm?”

“Ruined my f-f-favorite armor.” She barked a fairly humorless laugh.

He shook his head. “I’ll replace the damn thing if it means that much to you.”

Shepard shrugged, “Somet-thing to focus on.

Wrex shifted the small woman so that she was lying on top of him and pulled the thermal blankets tighter around her back. She sighed as her body began to warm again. Without thinking, she lifted her head enough to plant a soft kiss on his chest. The gesture startled the krogan, who had to remind himself not to move too much since the injured commander was sprawled across him. She made no comment and no move to repeat the act as she let her head fall back against him. They let the silence stretch.

The fuzzy blackness that had been hovering on the edges of Shepard’s vision for the last hour was steadily blotting out more and more of the compound they had used for shelter. She had a mind to ask what the time was, but the thought was lost before she could form the words. Her aching body, the frigid air in the compound and Wrex’s heartbeat under her head all combined to loosen her already unsteady hold on her awareness. With another sigh, she closed her eyes and let consciousness slip from her grasp.

Wrex was pondering the meaning of the kiss Shepard had given him. Was it merely an expression of thanks, or was it something more? It felt like more. But that was absurd, wasn’t it? Maybe not so much. Should he let them continue down this path? He harrumphed at himself. If he was what Shepard wanted, why should he try to stop her? He knew damn well that if she wanted him, she would have him, one way or another. It was part of who she was, that trademark stubbornness and determination that had gotten them this far. And he wanted her, too. It was an odd feeling, he mused. Krogan were slow to show affection to one of their own when mating and few enough found love elsewhere. Wrex never thought he would be one to fall for another race, let alone a human, yet here he was, wrapped up tight with the woman who helped him remember why he was fighting. He lifted his head enough to nuzzle her shoulder. She didn’t move. Alarm shot through him. He jostled her gently, trying to goad a response from her, even if it meant he had caused her pain.

“Shepard? Shepard?”

She rolled against him in silence.

“Ember, wake up!” He growled insistently. Her shallow breathing was the only thing she offered in response.

“Tali!” Wrex bellowed. The quarian jolted upright and half fell, half jumped down from her bunk.

“What?” She said, hoping she sounded more alert than she felt.

“Shepard,” he pointed to the small bulge in the blankets that showed where she was. Without another word, Tali hailed the _Normandy_ and tried to bring the commander around.


	5. Love

Shepard woke with a start to blinding lights all around and jerked her hand up to shield her eyes. She made to sit up quickly, causing a stab of pain to run down her side.

“Son of a bitch,” she said thickly.

“Easy, Commander. You’re alright.”

“I can’t see,” she mumbled.

The bright light dimmed and Shepard could now make out the motherly face of Doctor Chakwas peering down at her. She had little enough memory of the time spent in that icy bunker after the crash, let alone of returning to the _Normandy_.

“How long was I out? What about the Mako? My ground crew?” Her questions came tumbling from her mouth so quickly that some of the words ran together and she cursed the fog in her head.

“Only a few hours, Commander. You fought hard against the cold, and if Major Alenko and the recovery crew had been some minutes earlier, they would have seen you back on board conscious and chattering, I’m sure,” the doctor gave her a wry smile in an effort to belie the worry in her eyes, “Garrus is hard at work on the Mako and I’m quite surprised his tirade didn’t wake you. As for your ground crew, well, ask them yourself.” The doctor moved to the side, allowing Tali and Wrex to come closer. Shepard wondered how she had missed the hulking krogan.

“You two alright?” She asked slowly, trying not to slur or run the words together again.

“I was never hurt, Shepard,” Tali said with a shrug.

“Fine,” Wrex grunted. Shepard studied him, suddenly wary. This was not the same krogan she had warmed herself against planet side. He returned her gaze, just as aloof. Had something happened that she didn’t remember? Or were those tender moments between them nothing more than the imaginings of a hopeless-romantic-turned-solider?

With one last, lingering look at him, Shepard steeled her nerves and said in a cooler tone than she intended, “We’ll debrief when I’m out of the sick bay.” The other two nodded and took their leave in silence. Shepard watched them until the door swished closed and blocked her line of sight. She turned back to the doctor, “How bad?”

The older woman sighed, “Bad enough.” Seeing the scowl Shepard directed at her, Chakwas picked up the data pad containing the medical report and handed it over. Shepard scanned it, blue eyes growing wide.

_18:57 Commander Ember Shepard reports Mako crash on unsustainable planet after landslide caused by a thresher maw attack. Minor injuries confirmed among ground crew consisting of Commander Shepard, Urdnot Wrex and Tali Zorah._

_19:19 Tali Zorah reports damage to the Mako and Commander Shepard’s armor, rendering both useless, moving to a compound planet side. Rescue crew headed by Lieutenant Alenko with Doctor Liara T’Soni and Gunnery Chief Williams dispatched._

_20:00 Shelter in the compound is confirmed. Urdnot Wrex reports Commander Shepard had more severe injuries after ‘forcible’ removal of damaged armor, tells rescue crew to ‘pick up the pace.’_

_21:00 No contact with injured ground crew. Rescue crew reports slow progress._

_22:23 Rescue crew has found the dead thresher maw, beginning decent to the ravine below. Still no word from the original ground crew consisting of Commander Shepard, Urdnot Wrex and Tali Zorah._

_22:30 Rescue crew reports the ravine deeper than initial readings suggested, wondering how the Mako and rest of the crew survived the crash, looks ‘grim.’_

_22:34 Original ground crew still not responding to hails from the Normandy or rescue crew. Life signs from Urdnot Wrex and Commander Shepard, taken from hardsuit computers, are negative. Those of Tali Zorah are stable._

_22:48 Tali Zorah reports that Commander Shepard is succumbing to her injuries and the cold, has lost consciousness. Urdnot Wrex is reported alive and well. Rescue crew advised of deteriorating situation._

_23:05 Rescue crew reports all hands have made it down to the bottom safely, describe scene of destruction likely caused by the landslide, are delayed due to worsening weather conditions._

_23:13 Tali Zorah reports that Commander Shepard is quickly succumbing to the cold, despite efforts of both her and Urdnot Wrex. Asks for ETA of the rescue crew._

_23:15 Rescue crew reports difficulty locating the compound, not having found the Mako yet._

_23:20 Tali Zorah leaves the compound to set off flair in hopes of locating the lost rescue team. Urdnot Wrex reportedly stays with Commander Shepard, his life signs linked thru the hardsuit computer show distress._

_23:27 Major Alenko, Doctor Liara T’Soni and Gunnery Chief Williams locate the injured ground crew._

_23:29 Commander Shepard is taken swiftly from the compound to the waiting med-evac where she is pronounced dead on arrival._

_23:40 Commander Shepard is revived, taken aboard the Normandy for further medical treatment. Condition critical.*_

_24:20 Commander Shepard responds well to treatment. Condition stable.*_

_* See attached records for medications given and actions taken._

 

Wrex still felt cold, and not from the ice planet. He paced the cargo hold, which was empty save him, and growled, under his breath. She had _died_ in his arms; he had held her corpse and had felt such a hopeless despair as he had never known. That was hours ago and it still rattled him. Shepard was well on her way to recovery in the medical bay right above him, he had seen her with his own eyes, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling of her cold, lifeless body tucked against his as he prayed to the ancestors and every other deity he knew to give her back to them. Damn the world and what she meant to the war, he wanted her back for his own selfishness. Somewhere along this crazy mission, she awakened feelings he didn’t know krogan were still capable of feeling. It was like being born again with new purpose, new resolve, and it all centered on that one human woman. His livelihood was now centered on Ember Shepard. Yes, he would go on living if this conflict took her from him (again), what else was a krogan to do? But he would be but a shell of the man she had made him in a few short months. In his near one thousand years of life, he thought he’d seen it all and nothing could change his view of the galaxy. And then he met the fireball that was the human commander and he found something greater than all the credits he could plunder.

He found love.


	6. Unwanted Insight

Shepard stared hard at the date pad in her hand. She didn’t remember ever hailing the _Normandy_ to tell them about the crash, nor did she recall her team doing so. In all honesty, she really wasn’t sure what she remembered anymore. The commander swallowed thickly.

“How? My injuries were barely more than superficial. I should have been fine…” her voice trailed off.

The doctor sighed, “That gash on your side is far more than superficial, Commander. I had to stitch you back together even with the help of medigel. You dislocated your hip, broke three ribs and managed to get one hell of a concussion. The only superficial injuries you sustained were the scrapes on your face and the bruises from your harness.”

Shepard touched her injured side gently, feeling the uneven pattern of well-done stitches under the bandages. “I didn’t feel-”

“Much of anything, I suspect. That planet was well into the negative temperatures. You couldn’t have survived even with your armor. That’s the danger with the cold. It puts you to sleep and you never wake up again.”

Well, that explained Wrex’s behavior. He had put such faith in her to save the galaxy and she had died of goddamn exposure, just as she said she wouldn’t do. Sure, she had been brought back, hadn’t even been aware she had died, but the fact stood cold and uncaring: Commander Shepard was nothing but human woman, no more immune to death than anyone else. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.

“When will I be free to go?” She asked.

“Not for a few days, yet. I told Joker to take us to the Citadel in case you needed more help than I could provide. We should be there shortly.”

Shepard gave her a quizzical look. “Doctor, exactly how long was I out?”

“Longer than I initially let you believe,” was the only answer she offered.

 

Wrex was the first off the ship as soon as they docked on the Citadel. He had things he needed and wanted to be well on his way before anyone had a chance to join him. The feelings Shepard had stirred within him were new and strange, but in no way unpleasant. He just wasn’t entirely sure how to express them, and that is what his uneasiness stemmed from. Had she been a krogan, there would be breeding contracts drawn up, dates set and little else done. But she for all her krogan mannerisms, she was decidedly human and he wasn’t sure what her species did to profess feelings for one another, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to risk asking another human about it. Then again, Shepard was not a run of the mill human female, so there was no guarantee one of her own race would have the answers he sought.  No, he had a rough plan in mind and he was running on his gut instinct for this.

His first stop at the lower ward’s market place was as much for him as it was for her. When he told the attendant what he was looking for, the salarian gave him a curious look but wisely chose not to enquire. The price was high, to be sure, but it mattered little for the peace of mind it offered him. His next two stops were mundane things he needed for himself, the little things he always had on hand like hard to find spare parts. The final stop wasn’t one he was entirely sure of, even as he found himself standing in front of the store. He had to venture a fair ways across the Citadel to find the shop he had blindly ordered the piece from, when he’d thought Shepard wouldn’t recover. Inhaling deeply, he approached the door that slid open for him, and walked into the most renowned jewelry store on the Citadel.

 

Back on the ship, Garrus was hard at work on the Mako. He’d given up cursing the damage in favor of being grateful that the ground team had survived. The left side of the tank, Shepard’s side, had taken the brunt of the damage, evidence as much by her injuries as those on the tank. Replacement siding had to be ordered, as well as a new front axle. He had managed to fix most of the other damage with what he had on hand; as it wasn’t much worse than what she usually did to the thing. But now, he was doing his best to pry one little piece of equipment out of the console while he had it taken apart. When the thing finally came free, he clicked his mandibles in satisfaction. It was small, no bigger than his hand and solid black. Despite its size, it was heavy being made of material meant to withstand just about anything the tank could conceivably go through, including Shepard. It housed all the information regarding what the Mako had been put through, cataloging damage, speed, environmental conditions and everything said within the passenger compartment. When decrypted with the appropriate security protocols, it would recreate whatever incident the user asked. Using the stored data, the little black box would reconstruct what happened in a crude video, playing back the audio track. After hearing about the accident, Anderson had suggested he pull it out and review the data it had accumulated, had even passed on the necessary decryption key. Garrus hoped it would provide something useful, some insight to the crash that told how it was only the left side that had taken so much damage. He took it to the comm room and plugged it into the video console, selecting the date and approximant time of the crash. What it showed of the crash chilled him to his core, made him glad she hadn’t taken him even as renewed sympathy for his crewmates that had survived blossomed in his chest. And what it showed about his commander made his heart constrict in a way he didn’t know it could. Wrex and Tali needed to see this, he decided, and called them both into the room.


	7. Don't Ask Questions if You Don't Want Answers

“Keelah,” Tali breathed behind her face plate.

Wrex ground his teeth together. How could she?

Garrus clicked his mandibles in the silence. “So,” he finally said, “What do you want to do?”

“Does she know you looked at all this?” Tali asked.

“No, I don’t think so, but she knows about the black box so she has to know someone would eventually figure it out. It would take years to override the data on it.”

“Does she not care?”

“Maybe that’s just how she is. I mean, it doesn’t really surprise me as much as I thought it would.” Garrus lifted his shoulders in a shrug, a human gesture he’d picked up since being on the _Normandy_.

Tali sighed, “I think you’re right. It’s there, in everything she does; I’ve just never paid it much mind until now. I just don’t understand it.”

Wrex growled and the other two looked at him in surprise. “I think we need to show her this, make her explain. She deserves that much of a chance.”

“She’s going to think we’ve condemned her if we all go marching into the med bay and corner her.”

“You two sound like you have,” Wrex hissed.

“No one has, Wrex,” Garrus said, “It was just something I thought you two should know since you were in the Mako with her when it happened. I didn’t expect you guys to get so worked up over it.”

“There’s nothing to condemn her for, anyway.”

The krogan exhaled slowly through his nose, reminding himself that no one knew of what happened between him and Shepard in the compound. Biting their heads off for expressing concern over a pattern of behavior that had gotten her killed was only going to raise suspicions. He shared their misgivings, yet saying so felt like a betrayal of her in some way. So instead of opening his mouth again, he nodded and gestured toward the door.

They found Shepard sitting cross-legged on her bed, flipping through a data pad. She glanced up when they entered, then back down to the data pad, before setting it aside to eye them, especially Wrex, warily. For his part, he was happy to see her sitting up on her own with some color back in her cheeks. Her blue eyes were shining again, even in the dimmed lighting.

“What’s going on?” She said, trying to keep her tone from getting too defensive.

Garrus spoke up first, “I’ve been working on repairing the Mako.”

“I’m sure I owe you a lifetime of beer now,” she retorted.

He chuckled, but it sounded forced even to him. “When Anderson heard about the accident, he told me about the black box and how to get it out,” he paused here, waiting for her reaction.

“I take it you got it out and played back the data on the crash.”

He nodded slowly.

“And?”

“You’re not mad I did it without your permission?”

“Should I be? Anderson told me he asked you to pull it and forward him the info. I wasn’t exactly in a place to tell you to do it myself, otherwise I would have. It’s standard procedure.”

Some of the tension drained from him then and he let out a long breadth he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Why did you do it, Shepard?” Tali blurted out, causing Garrus to jump and Shepard and Wrex to look quizzically at her.

“Do what?”

Tali appeared to be shaking slightly after her outburst. She wrapped her arms around her middle and spoke, albeit softer this time, “Every move you made was to keep the right side of the Mako clear from the landslide. You dropped the tank on yourself on purpose.”

“Yes, I did. And I would do it again.”

“Why?”

She lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal half shrug. “I’d rather you live than me.”

“You’re the one that’s leading us. What would we do if got yourself killed and we couldn’t bring you back?”

Shepard met each of their eyes, making an effort to find Tali’s behind her mask, and said, “You would go on. You’d keep fighting, and you would win. I am only one solider, no greater than anyone else. I couldn’t do any of this alone and I need you guys more than you need me.”

The silence that settled on the room was heavy with the weight of her words. They were sincere, uttered with the kind of calm that is only found when the one speaking has thought through the situation every way possible and come to the same conclusion every time. The implications were clear, and none of them liked what they were hearing, but they could do nothing to dissuade her. Deep down, they all had the same fear, that Shepard was inadvertently making herself the prime target for gods only know what, and that one day, it would be too much for her, just as the cold in the compound had been. She was, as she said, just one solider, after all. The three ducked their heads, more than slightly put off by her bluntly putting their darkest thoughts into words. Without attempting to reply, they all filed out of the med bay and went their separate ways; Tali back to engineering, Garrus to the Mako and Wrex to the commander’s room. Shepard sighed heavily and lay back in her bed, throwing her arm over her face. She hated the way she had so coldly disillusioned them just now, but she didn’t have it in her to sugarcoat the truth that time.

“Did they really need to hear it like that, Commander?” Doctor Chakwas asked as she stepped around to the other side of her desk. She had gone unnoticed by the others; they were so intent on Shepard.

“Tough love, doc. I had to make sure they understood what was really going on.”

“And what is that?”

“That, before this is over, I’ll be dead and they’ll be on their own.”


	8. Shopping for Social Standards

Wrex stomped into Shepard’s cabin, angry at the truth her words held. It had become his greatest fear that he would lose her and it had destroyed him once, when she had left him for only a few minutes. He couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without her and the fact that he had become so dependent on her in such a short time terrified him. Wrex dropped himself heavily onto the small bed. Her cabin was sparsely furnished, with no personal touches that he could see. He sighed heavily. The only reason he’d gone to her room was to be in her presence without her voice telling him he’d lose her again soon. He loved her, despite all their differences and everything they had against them, his heart belonged to her.

Damn her and damn the things she made him feel. Wrex pushed himself up off her bed and moved to the desk. There, he left a large white and grey box with the Hahne-Kedar logo emblazoned on the front. He held a smaller black velvet box in the palm of his hand. It had been a rather spur of the moment purchase, but he didn’t regret it. He wanted her to have it, but he wanted to see her face when she opened it. Yet, he didn’t want to hold it anymore. It was so small; Wrex was afraid something would happen to it. He stood for a moment pondering what to do with the thing before deciding that his armor locker was the best place for it until the time came to give it to Shepard. Closing his fist around the small box, he set a data pad next to the larger one. With a final nod to himself, he left her private quarters and went back his corner of the engineering deck.

Shepard had convinced Chakwas to let her go early with the promise that she would return every eight hours without fail, and that she would do nothing but file mission reports until she was cleared for duty. She shuffled into her cabin, in far more pain than she let the doctor believe. But she couldn’t take being stuck in sick bay anymore. With a sigh, she gingerly dropped herself onto her bed. It felt…off. Someone had been in her bed while she was gone, she was sure of it. Shepard sat up and scooted herself to the edge. The sheets were loose and smelled faintly of gun oil and warm sun on wind-blown sand. She sighed contentedly. They smelled like Wrex. But why had he been in her room when he knew she was in the med bay? Had he come here looking for solace when they were unsure if she would live? Did he come here to be alone? The idea that he had been in her room for whatever reason made her head spin. She had an open door policy and didn’t mind people in her private space, but it was Wrex. It was so unusual that she jumped up at once with the intention of going to see him. The sudden movement made her side spasm and she stumbled forward to grab the edge of the desk for support. Her eyes were screwed shut against the pain and she opened them cautiously, trying to force air back into her lungs. Eyes fully open now, she could see a rather large box on the desk. How she had missed it the first time was beyond her. It was snow camouflaged with the Hahne-Kedar logo in matte black across the front. She recognized it immediately as her favorite Ursa armor. Sitting down gingerly on the desk chair, she pulled the box open. Not only was it the fully upgraded version, it was the medium set instead of light, as her old had been. Shepard gingerly picked up the collapsed helmet, pressing the small clasp to expand it. She traced the grooves lightly. Setting the helmet down, she had to move a data pad. Her brow furrowed. She hadn’t left one on her desk. Tapping the screen, a message popped up.

_Try not to crack this one, pyjak._

Shepard stared at the message in shocked silence. So this was why Wrex had been in her room. She vaguely remembered griping about destroying the last set after Wrex had climbed into bed with her. Since he had replaced it, just as he said he would, it meant that everything she thought happened really did. That, in and of itself, was such a relief that Shepard actually laughed out loud. This in turn meant that his distant attitude most likely wasn’t from their intimacy at the compound, but something else. That was both comforting and agonizing. It was something they would have to work out together, assuming there was anything to work out.

 Shepard would make a point to thank him for his thoughtfulness and the armor, she decided, the next time she could talk to him alone. Biting her lip, she wondered what the social expectations were amongst krogan regarding gift giving. Were they different than those of her species? Was she expected to give him one in return, or would that be some sort of violation of social standards?  Did Wrex even really care? Well, even if he didn’t, she did. And with that in mind, Shepard pulled herself to her feet and marched right back to the medical bay. She was leaving the ship; and the good doctor could either give her clearance to go, or babysit her on her excursion, but one way or the other, the commander was going shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one if a bit shorter than what I usually post, but it was just meant as a filler and transition to the next part. This story is fast coming to a close!! But I might feel a sequel coming on.... ;)


	9. Perfect for Each Other

Doctor Chakwas followed Shepard around the Citadel as she hobbled from shop to shop, looking for something.

“Is this really necessary, Commander?”

“Yes. I need to find this before we go to Virmire.”

“Well, what is it?”

“I…I’ll know it when I see it.”

The doctor sighed and waited for her patient to finish browsing the kiosk. With a disgruntled sigh, Shepard moved away from the shop.

“You need to rest, Commander,” Chakwas said as she eyed the commander’s rapidly paling face.

“I know. I just have one more place to look and it’s right by the docks.”

“Then why didn’t you check there first?”

“Because I didn’t think of it until now. I blame the pain killers you so generously provided.”

Chakwas rolled her eyes as Shepard turned to the elevator. This little expedition had lasted longer than it should have and the strain was wearing on the commander. The doctor wondered just what was so important that had Shepard convinced it couldn’t wait until she was in better condition. Clearly it was important or she wouldn’t have dragged the older woman off the ship to babysit her.

In the elevator, Shepard leaned against the wall and sighed. “Thanks for coming out with me, Doc.”

“Well, it certainly beats cataloguing medical supplies and filling out paperwork.”

Shepard smiled. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of the Specter Requisitions Office first. This whole time I’ve been looking for something unique, that the average person can’t go out and get easily. What better place to find that than the one shop on the Citadel that not everyone can go to?”

“Sound logic, Commander.”

“Shame it took so long to figure it out.”

The elevator stopped on the designated level and Shepard lead the way to the Requisition Office. It didn’t take her long to find exactly what she was looking for, and then some. A short time, and a good many credits, later, she was happily heading back to the ship with her new purchases in tow.

Stifling a yawn, she told her own requisitions officer to put the crates on lock down until she came down to unpack them. With his affirmative, she made her way back up to her bed and fell into it for some much needed sleep.

 

Wrex eyed the unopened crates with a mix of curiosity and dread. It was a well-known fact that Shepard enjoyed purchasing expensive gear for her team, but she never went so far out of her way to get it. If they happened to be on the Citadel, then she would stop by the Specter Requisitions Office on her way to the ship, or she would crack open a locked weapon locker to see what was inside. But she had ran off not long after being released from the med bay. In her current state, it didn’t seem likely that she had felt the need to better equip her crew for the coming mission, and Wrex was worried that the armor he had left for her had been in poor taste. Sure, it was her favorite armor, but what if she no longer held it in the same esteem after her brush with death? What if seeing it made her blood run cold and she couldn’t bear the thought of putting it back on?

As these thoughts filled his head, he became more and more agitated. Ashley and the other humans lingering about had taken shelter on the upper deck as soon as his bad mood became apparent, and even Garrus had left him to sulk when it didn’t subside. So, Wrex paced the cargo hold, anxiously waiting for Shepard to appear and crack open the offending crates to either confirm his fears, or put his mind at ease. 

Up in her cabin, Shepard brushed her hair and straightened her uniform. She was hoping to catch Wrex alone so she could present him with the new addition to his personal armory without all the pomp and ceremony of handing out new gear to everyone. She wanted him to know that it was special, and that she appreciated the armor. When she emerged from her room, Kaiden and Ashley were talking at his station. They both paused to salute as she walked by.

“Hey, guys. Enjoying a break?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She smiled, “Good. Don’t want you working too hard.”

“Hey, Shepard, your hair is getting long!”

“I noticed it today, too. I’m thinking of letting it grow for once.”

“I would. The longer look suits you.”

“Thanks for the input,” Shepard said as she waved from around the corner.

“Should you warn her about Wrex?” Kaiden asked.

Ashley shook her head. “What should I say? That I don’t speak alien and I think the krogan is throwing a fit? Naw, she can handle it.”

Unaware of his unpleasant mood, Shepard bounced in the elevator, anxious to open the crates. The first thing she noticed when she arrived in the cargo hold was the Wrex wasn’t in his usual corner. The second thing was that everyone else was gone. It didn’t take her long to figure that the krogan had chased them all away, whether he meant to or not. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He glanced pointedly at the crates. With a sigh and an exaggerated eye roll, Shepard marched over to them and pried the top one open. She moved the packing material aside to reveal a gun case that was stamped with:

_Rosenkov  Materials_

_Sokolov X_.

She pulled it from the crate and handed it to him. “Thanks for the armor.”

“You liked it?”

“Of course. It’s my favorite. But you knew that,” she grinned. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“It was better than listening to you bitch about your spare set.”

“Look, about earlier,” Shepard said after a moment’s pause.

“What about it?”

“I’m not sorry for what I said.”

“I know.”

“And I’m not sorry for what happened in the compound.”

“Neither am I.”

“Then I guess that settles everything.”

“I guess so.”

“Good. I have to put the rest of this away before we get to Virmire.”

“Wait, Shepard.” Wrex thought of the small black velvet box tucked away in his armor locker.

“What?”

“Uh, nothing, need some help?”

“Well, if you’ve got nothing better to do.”

And just like that, all the tension between them vanished. As they loaded everyone’s lockers with new gear, they talked of little things like gun mods and weapon malfunctions and food. Neither of them were touchy feely and neither of them were looking for romance, which is what made them perfect for each other.


	10. An Eye for an Eye

Virmire had been a disaster. Between the geth and Saren and the bomb, it was easily the low point on their quest to stop the rouge Specter. Top it off with an Alliance KIA report and an angry krogan, and Shepard figured it could be the low point for her time as commander as well. The loss of Kaiden broke her heart in a way she hadn’t been expecting and the official paperwork made his sacrifice sound so dreadfully taciturn that it made her want to put her fist through the screen. Instead, she shoved away from the desk to pace her cabin. Yes, the Lieutenant was a good solider and a great man, but, as guilty as it made her feel, he was not the focus of her attention. She had filled out the report, written the letter of condolence to his family, and even as she read it over, it sounded distant and cold; she couldn’t send it off the way it was, but she couldn’t fix it until she hashed it out with Wrex. He had let her know in no uncertain terms what he thought of their mission on that planet and she couldn’t fault him for his anger, even as it stirred her own.

She stormed out of her quarters to find some reprieve from the oppressive cloud the tropical planet had left hanging over her. Shepard went first to the upper deck with the star map. Her fists curled in frustration as she realized that they were already on route to the Citadel per the Ambassador’s instructions. They were close enough that it wouldn’t help to change their course now. Shepard was a woman of action, had always been, and sitting idly on the ship with her heart hurting and nothing to do but wait was driving her mad. Since the upper deck hadn’t given her the reprieve she was hoping for, and she was running from her cabin, the only place left was the lower deck with the angry krogan. At least that would be one problem she could deal with. Wrex eyed her warily as she stomped out of the elevator. He could tell she wasn’t mad, no, her rage was like a roaring fire, destroying everything in its path. Now, she seemed agitated, her restlessness forcing her to wander the ship when she should be sleeping. Ashley and the other human crew members were in the mess, taking comfort in each other after losing one of their own. Garrus had turned in for the night after taking some time to memorialize the young Lieutenant in his own way, and Tali was locked in with the drive core where no one could hear her cry.

“Shepard.” He said as she passed him.

She stopped suddenly and turned to him, “Wrex.”

“About what happened planet side.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t like what we did, but looking back, it was the right thing.”

“You’ll have Saren’s head, I can promise you that much.” He nodded. She made no move to walk away, but couldn’t fill the silence with words. They stared at each other for a long minute. Her blue eyes seemed smoldering in the dim lights and Wrex was certain he could feel the discontent radiating off of her.

“About Alenko.” He said by way of acknowledgement.

Shepard sighed, her shoulders sagging.

“He died a good death. You should be proud.”

“I am.”

“Then why are you twitching like a feral varren on the hunt?”

“It should have been me.” Her words exploded in the space between them like a grenade.

“No.”

“Wrex-”

“NO! Stop being a goddamn martyr for your cause. You don’t have to be the one to sacrifice everything to save us all. We’re all fighters and we knew what we were doing when we got on this blasted ship with you. This is a war, Ember. People die. You can’t save everyone, no matter how hard you try. It’s not your fault he blew himself up. It’s Saren’s. And you’re going to stop feeling sorry for yourself and you’re going to go kick his scaly turian ass in revenge.”

“I get the ass and you get the head?”

“Damn right.”

Before he knew what was happening, Shepard threw herself at him. With a startled oof, he caught her, his hands resting easily on her waist. He could feel her soft breath against his neck and her strong muscles flexing under her uniform. She formed against his larger body with a natural ease and he bent his head to rest it against hers.

“Thank you.” It was nothing more than a whisper as she pulled away from him, her hand lingering on his arm for just longer than was necessary. The air stirred around him when she stalked back to the elevator, her faint scent of lemon soap and earth trailing after her. Wrex laid his hand over where hers had rested against his armor, imagining he could feel her five slender fingers instead of the groves in his gear.

Back in her cabin, Shepard returned to her computer, smoothing out the formal folds of her letter to the lieutenant’s family. The ache in her heart hadn’t eased, but talking with Wrex had calmed the storm that was raging in it. As she wrapped up the official paperwork and prepared to send it off, e-signing it with her name and rank, she realized that for the first time, Wrex had used her first name.


End file.
